Experts for stronger ties between industry and institutes

A need for forging a partnership between industry and technical institutes for the creation of employable youth was highlighted during a regional workshop on the AICTE-CII Survey of Industry-Linked Technical Institutes 2013.

A need for forging a partnership between industry and technical institutes for the creation of employable youth was highlighted during a regional workshop on the AICTE-CII Survey of Industry-Linked Technical Institutes 2013. It was organised jointly by the All India Council for Technical Education and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Dr Avinash Pant,Vice Chairman,AICTE said,Institutes should not only aggressively collaborate with industry by way of guest lectures,plant visits,curriculum designing,CEO talks,faculty development and placement programs but also insist on long term and sustained partnership by making industry representatives a part of the institute management committee.

He also highlighted the need for the regulation of technical institutes. Without regulation,higher education will not be very beneficial to the students. We are equally convinced that industry should participate in the institutional development. Industry should invest in research and development. The relationship between the two should be a strategic one, he said.

Highlighting the problem of low rate of employment among the technical graduates,K Verma,Director – HR &MS,Alchemist Ltd said,The total intake of engineering colleges in the country is around four lakh per year and 50,000 in the northern region,but due to lack of industrial exposure and training,49 per cent of students remain unemployed. There is a dire need to map the industry requirements and find out what kind of jobs are required.

Suggesting measures to ensure maximum employment,K Verma said that the project-based training should be built into the curriculum. Students should be encouraged to demonstrate acquired learning through a live,actionable project.

Gurpreet Kaur Sapra,Director,Technical Education,Chandigarh,who was also present at the occasion said that on CII recommendation to add specific vocational courses in the curriculum as per the industry demands,a new Polytechnic College will be opening very soon.

Others to speak at the occasion were Man Mohan Singh,Chairman,CII Chandigarh Council and Shalini S Sharma,Head,Higher Education.